Well here is a question for you: Who decides what is exactly is backwards and what exactly is "moral"? What makes Europe's way of doing things any better than Americas? Obviously a lot of Americans like it's conservative culture, so what right does Europe have to call the United States backwards?
There are a lot of conservatives in America who think that homosexuality is wrong and should be illegal. Now, without getting too political, that's morally repugnant to me (cannot be overstated enough). Homosexuality hurts no one.
That's just one example of how American culture can be 'backwards' and conservative at the same time; outlawing victimless crimes. Now, you can still be conservative and think that gay sex is wrong in Europe; but the difference is, the government lets its citizens express themselves how they choose. Another example would be cannabis; why is it socially acceptable for college students (assuming they're at least 21; and even if they're underage, the penalties for underage drinking are much lighter than those for marijuana possession) to get incredibly drunk on a regular basis, but if they start smoking weed then it becomes a crime? Is anyone honestly hurt if people choose a drug that, on the whole, is much less harmful than alcohol?
Again, conservatives can still abstain from smoking cannabis. But for the people who want to, I see no reason why they shouldn't be able to.
As for the loose sexual morals, just give it a few more years and the whole U.S. will be like the West Coast is now. Hopefully people will get over abstinence only education quickly, once they realize how ineffective it is.